Halfway To Paris
by SerenaStrike
Summary: Beginning right after Anya and Dimitri waltz on the Tasha. Anya/Dimitri. Lemon.


She peered down into the cabin after him, wondering what she had done. Her heart was beating a mile a minute when she put her hand on her chest.

The metal of the necklace she sported was cold against her palm. Sighing, she looked at it once again, wondering if she could see another sign. But it was always the same. Turquoise, gold, and the words "Together in Paris".

_Who am I?_, she thought as she plopped down on a crate near the side of the boat. The sun was lowering on the horizon and it reflected bits of light back towards her. Staring at it helped her think.

On one hand, she very well could be Grand Duchess Anastasia, lost in St. Petersburg after Rasputin tore her life apart.

On the other, she could just be what she'd always been: Anya, a penniless orphaned girl with no past or future. Only what she hand and no more.

A quote crossed her mind. "_Today is a gift - That's why it's called the present."_

And her present didn't seem like much of a gift. It sounded ungrateful, but honestly. Here she was, on a boat with two strangers who believed she was the lost princess Anastasia. She felt crazy. What on earth was she thinking?

Confusing as it was, nothing was worse than what she was feeling at that very moment. It was impossible, what she was thinking.

_Am I…could I be…is it insane to think that I…could be in love?_

"No." She stomped her foot as she said it. "There's no way."

She was used to thinking out loud.

Vlad came up behind her and took the opposite crate.

"He's hard to understand sometimes, isn't he?" said Vlad, sitting Pooka on the deck.

"Everything was fine. And he just ducks out like he's making a mistake." Anya put her head in her hands. Vlad patted her on the back.

"If I know Dimitri, and I do, he's doubting himself."

Anya looked up, tears threatening to spill. "Why? I was right there with him. He should know how I feel."

"I think he does. And that's what scares him. He doesn't want to ruin your innocence. He thinks he's no good for you. But I can see that no matter how hard he tries, he's going to keep falling for you, harder each day."

Anya's eyes were wide. "Really?"

Vlad smiled. "Really, my child. Go. You must talk to him."

Anya looked back down at the water. _Me?, _she thought. _Skinny little nobody me?_ She looked over at Vlad and smiled. "Thank you."

He nodded and picked up the yipping dog. As she stood up, her legs wobbled slightly. She couldn't help but think that it wasn't because of the ship's lulling movement.

Her steps were uneasy on the way to the lower cabin stairs. _Are you really doing this?, _she thought.

She held onto the railing for dear life as she descended into the cabin area. All the way down until she reached the door where Dimitri sat.

Before she entered all the way, she peeked in and looked at him for a moment. His head was in his hands and he was breathing fairly hard. His brown hair stuck out between his fingers.

Finally, she mustered up the courage to walk in.

She sighed, folding her hands. "Dimitri, listen…", Anya spoke as she looked down at her feet. She couldn't finish.

He lifted his head up to look at her. "What is it?"

She sighed. "I just…I know we haven't known each other for very long, but…I feel like we…we've been through a lot…I just…I don't know how to say this."

Dimitri stood up. "Yes?" He almost looked eager for her to continue.

Anya shook her head. She felt like a fool. No matter what Vlad had said, she couldn't do this now. Not in the middle of everything. "I just…" She sighed again.

He clutched her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "It's okay."

She looked down, almost tearing up. He took his hand and lifted her chin. And he kissed her. Right on the lips.

She pulled back, eyes closed, relieved. He sighed.

"That summed up everything I wanted to say. Right there," said Anya, smiling.

Dimitri smiled back. "Agreed." He kissed her again, this time with much more affection.

She felt herself conform to his body. He held her closer as their kiss became more and more intense. This couldn't be happening.

He pulled back to meet her gaze. "I'm no good for you."

"Even if that were true, I don't care. No one has ever shown me this much affection. Nobody has ever cared about me. Ever since I can remember, nobody cared. Except for you."

And with that, he picked her up, walked to the door, and kicked it shut. He tossed her on the bed, holding himself above her, teasing her with kisses along her collarbone.

She gasped. "What if Vlad comes in?"

Dimitri grinned. "He won't. He'll know."

Anya looked worried. "How will he…oohhh…," he sucked on her neck, "…will he know?"

"Trust me," he growled, "He'll know."

Anya sighed as his kissed trailed upwards towards her lips. Dimitri lifted himself up slightly, grabbed his belt, and unbuckled it.

She bit her lip. "Dimitri, I've…never done this before."

"It's okay," he said. "You'll be fine."

She sat up and he slid his hands behind her to unzip the dress he bought her. His hands were perfect. He knew exactly where to touch her. "Have…have you…done this?," she whispered.

He looked at her. "What makes you ask that?"

"I don't know. You just seem very…skilled." She blushed as she said it.

"What if I have?," he smirked, "Would you be shocked?"

She giggled. "Not entirely."

"Good." Dimitri went back to unzipping her dress. He gently nipped at her neck. "Ooohhh…,"Anya gasped.

She began to feel more confident. Feisty, as Vlad explained it once. She slipped her hand down and took hold of his buckle. As it slid out of the loops, she grabbed his zipper and tugged. She felt how hard he was. He breathed more rapidly now. "Anya…you're killing me."

She smirked now. She could do this.

He slowly pulled her sleeves off of her arms. Anya shivered.

He kissed her once more and then slowly moved his lips down to her breasts. He sucked on the left, then on the right. He dragged his tongue along the underside which made her moan louder than before.

"Mmmm…Dimitri…yes…" She couldn't help but cry out. She hoped Vlad couldn't hear.

Dimitri loved the sounds she made. He grew harder with each noise he heard. Finally, she pushed him away.

"Here I am, half-naked, and you're still fully clothed. I think it's unfair," she giggled.

He grinned. "Well, like I always say: 'Ladies First'."

He shrugged his shoulders out of his vest. Anya leaned forward and began unbuttoning his shirt. After it was off, she slowly dragged her finger all the way down his chest until it reached the top of his pants. He stood up and stepped out of them.

Anya put her fingers in the waistband of his underwear and ran them around to his hips. "I insist. You go first."

"Not until we're back on the bed. You must learn patience, Your Grace," he said, and went back to kissing her breasts. She sat back on the bed and laid down. He pulled down the rest of her dress. All that was left was her underwear.

"Now we're even," she whispered. He grabbed a blanket and threw it over them. She could feel him sliding his last item of clothing off of his body and heard it drop to the floor. He grabbed hold of the elastic in hers and pulled them off, teasing her.

He held himself above her and grinned. "Enjoying yourself?"

"What do you think?"

Without a word, his fingers crawled south on her stomach. She felt them slide down, until they were rubbing at her wetness. She let out a slight gasp.

He slowly slid them into her, feeling her walls getting smaller and smaller. She was right: She really had never done this before.

Dimitri began to move out, and back in again. Anya began to shift a little. She could feel his fingers touching all the right places. He began to move them faster. She moaned a little louder.

He leaned up and whispered in her ear. "Do you like that? Does that feel nice?"

Anya couldn't speak. She sighed out, trying to word something.

"That's right," he said, once again going back to her breasts. He flicked his tongue over one nipple and then the other. She cried out, reaching her breaking point.

Without warning, he slid his fingers out. "Not yet, Anya. Like I said, patience."

She groaned and moved her hand down to feel herself. He caught her before she reached her destination.

"No, no cheating." She then knew what he was going to do. It was something she'd heard about, but never experienced.

He positioned himself over her. She felt his hardness pressing against her thigh.

"Are you ready?," he breathed into her ear.

She nodded.

He pushed his whole length into her and groaned. "…God, Anya."

She gasped at the sensation. He slowly pulled out, and then back in again. She felt herself stretch to his size. "Oh…", she trailed off, lost in this new feeling.

He began to speed his thrusts, making sure to pay attention to her gasps. The faster he was, the louder she was.

He felt her insides spasm against him. It was driving him crazy. "Dimitri, I'm…uhh…I'm…"

He couldn't take it anymore. He was going as fast as he could. "It's okay, Anya. Breathe."

She tried breathing but nothing would come out but gasping. And then, she spoke.

"Oh, Dimitri."

She was seeing stars. All she could feel was her whole body tingling. She smelled his hair - cheap cologne and salt water. Was it possible for her senses to be completely heightened in a matter of seconds? Every touch electrocuted her. Dimitri was moaning her name, in the same daze. She never wanted it to end.

Finally, it subdued. Her body, while heated and exhausted, was back to normal. She knew her cheeks were red. Dimitri's brow was spotted with sweat. They smiled at each other.

Dimitri was breathing hard. "I love you."

Anya was having the same problem. "I love you, too. To me, you're perfect. No matter what you say, Dimitri, you're perfect."

They knew they were in love. They couldn't hide it anymore. Vlad saw right past their attempt to hide it. But they knew the truth. That was all that mattered.

They both rolled on their backs, hands clasped, wondering what a mess they'd gotten themselves into.


End file.
